{"id":28467,"date":"2019-05-15T12:26:14","date_gmt":"2019-05-15T17:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/?p=28467"},"modified":"2019-05-19T16:53:00","modified_gmt":"2019-05-19T21:53:00","slug":"the-rewards-of-being-a-small-town-lawyer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/2019\/05\/the-rewards-of-being-a-small-town-lawyer\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rewards of Being a Small Town Lawyer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A<\/a>
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When asked to write a blog for the Marquette University Law School blog, I was provided several general topics that I could have considered, as I have never blogged.\u00a0 But it was also suggested that I have an interesting personal story:\u00a0 I always wanted to be a lawyer in my hometown, a city with fewer people than are enrolled as students at Marquette.\u00a0 I have always had a desire to return to Ashland, Wisconsin, and practice law, raise my family and live the lifestyle that I enjoy.\u00a0 I don\u2019t find my situation to be unique or interesting, but maybe that\u2019s because northern Wisconsin is such a wonderful location that it pulls many people home, and my story isn\u2019t unique among residents here.\u00a0 However, someone who grew up in an urban area may be apprehensive that there will be \u201cnothing to do\u201d in a small town.\u00a0 To that I say: only boring people get bored.\u00a0 So rather than discuss a legal topic, I plan to discuss my legal practice, and why being a small-town lawyer is a fulfilling and interesting career.\u00a0 The State Bar of Wisconsin has also recently encouraged small town practice<\/a> and tried to connect new lawyers or those looking for a change with lawyers in rural areas. Small towns need lawyers.<\/p>\n

I grew up in Ashland, located on the shores of Lake Superior, enjoying the big lake and the big woods (Chequamegon National Forest). In the summer and fall the activities were hunting and fishing, in winter it was hockey rinks and ski slopes, and the in the spring, well that was just mud season.\u00a0 I have been teased for the pride I take in talking about my home, my high school, and the general area I grew up in.\u00a0 Unlike larger areas, my high school represents my community and is smaller than most.\u00a0 Ashland has just over 8,000 people and the county has just twice that many.\u00a0 There was no other high school, so it represented us as an area.\u00a0 It represents my home, so I take pride in its success and sorrow in its failures.<\/p>\n

In law school I had academic success having offers from large firms and was a summer associate at one.\u00a0 I graduated magna cum laude<\/em> and moved back to Ashland the day after being sworn in to the Bar.\u00a0 While my big firm experience was positive, I knew my long-term happiness was north.\u00a0 When asked why would you want to live up there, my response was typically the same: \u201cWhy do you vacation in northern Wisconsin?\u201d\u00a0 To many people, Elkhart Lake was \u201cup north,\u201d while I consider Highway 8 to be the dividing line between north and south Wisconsin. \u00a0\u00a0I find cities great places to visit on weekends but I find the small town is the place to live.\u00a0\u00a0 I think many lawyers would find small town practice rewarding both professionally and personally.<\/p>\n

My firm consists of four locally grown lawyers.\u00a0 My partner was born and raised in the area and worked his way home after law school.\u00a0 My soon to be partner grew up across the bay 11 miles away in Washburn and left a big firm job in New York to raise his family there.\u00a0 My colleague, who is not a partner but I cannot call an associate as he was the Ashland County Judge for 25 years before retiring and joining us, also grew up in Ashland.\u00a0 We all chose to return to our hometown for various reasons and have all found career success, a balance for our families, and most importantly satisfaction.\u00a0 Our stories are not unique though, as many other attorneys in the area finished very high in their class (top 5 to 10 percent) and have chosen to be small town lawyers.<\/p>\n

The Practice<\/em><\/p>\n

Practicing in a small town allows you to choose many different areas of law.\u00a0 It is hard to specialize due to the lack of a specialized volume that exists, but there are specialists in this area in elder law, criminal defense, and a few other areas.\u00a0 Most lawyers are fairly general, however.\u00a0 I practice criminal defense, family law, civil litigation, estate planning, and municipal law, among others.\u00a0 I have practiced in bankruptcy and tribal courts too.\u00a0 We have several Indian reservations near Ashland which allow interesting topics to arise related to their legal system and to jurisdictional issues between the tribes and state.\u00a0 Very quickly after starting my practice I had my first jury trial.\u00a0 Shortly after that I took on some appellate cases through the State Public Defender\u2019s Office, taking one to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.\u00a0 My practiced has evolved as I have gained experience and reputation, helping me pick and choose more of the matters I wish to work on.<\/p>\n

I am currently representing several municipalities, and I am the City Attorney for Ashland.\u00a0 Traffic court can be interesting when one minute I am prosecuting someone and the next defending someone from a different prosecuting jurisdiction as everything is done in the circuit court. I have been able to represent every type of client from large corporations, to municipalities, the indigent, and multi-millionaires.\u00a0 I have done multimillion-dollar transactions and small claims trials.\u00a0 Small town practice has everything cities have. \u00a0The practice is interesting, fun, and I am always learning.<\/p>\n

The collegiality amongst the local bar also makes the local practice enjoyable.\u00a0 We play in a small sandbox when the Ashland-Bayfield County Bar Association is smaller than many Milwaukee and Madison law firms.\u00a0 As we all play in that sand box, we find ways to get along without sacrificing our ethical responsibilities to our clients.\u00a0 One of the attorneys I litigate the most against is on the same trap team with me.<\/p>\n

As a small town lawyer, local leaders will look to you for civic engagement and service.\u00a0 You will be asked to serve on boards for various entities.\u00a0 It is rewarding work that often allows you to see immediate impact in the community you leave.\u00a0 You do need to learn to say “no” though, as you will be asked a lot.\u00a0 I find I am asked more for this service than I am donations for causes.\u00a0 This service not only is just a good thing to do, it builds reputation without a marketing cost.<\/p>\n

The Lifestyle<\/em><\/p>\n

One of the perks in the way my bosses treated me when I returned to Ashland is that I have always felt like my own boss.\u00a0 While you eat what you kill from a business perspective, the little things that make life great cannot be overlooked.\u00a0 I have no traffic to fight to get to my office.\u00a0 I step out my office door, look down the street, and I can see Lake Superior two blocks away.\u00a0 I can go home for lunch.\u00a0 Until my oldest children began school and my wife returned to work, I would often have lunch with my family or take the two-block walk and eat on a beach.\u00a0 Even when I had to deal with a serious family health issue, the colleagues in the local bar were supportive and rallied around to make sure my clients were taken care of and that any deadlines that I were extended with very little effort on my part.\u00a0 If I want to go fishing after work, I can go home, hook up a boat trailer and be in the water within 30 minutes.\u00a0 If I forget something at the office, I can ride my bike there in 10 minutes.<\/p>\n

Society tends to promote the four-year bachelor\u2019s degree as the proper post-high-school course of education, and law school culture often promotes the big firm, big-city job as the \u201cproper\u201d career path.\u00a0 While it is an over-generalization, many people feel that they should pursue that path and chase highly competitive jobs.\u00a0 The reality is that many people should be encouraged to join the trades at the high school level.\u00a0 Those jobs are needed, they are well paying, and those are the jobs that will make certain people happier.\u00a0\u00a0 While I was very grateful for my time at the large Milwaukee firms while I was at in law school, and I would have enjoyed working in the culture of those specific firms, my calling was north and to home for the lifestyle that truly makes me happy.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, anyone who starts up here will likely earn significantly less than taking a job at a large firm.\u00a0 But for other positions, the wages will be competitive.\u00a0 While you may not have the same income, there are certain costs, such as housing and other things, that will be cheaper.\u00a0 You will find satisfaction in building relationships with your clients immediately as opposed to working for partners.\u00a0 You will be welcomed as a colleague in the local bar.\u00a0 You will find that if you enjoy outdoor activities, you will never be bored, between the forests, lakes, mountain bike trails and other recreational opportunities.\u00a0 If you have a family, you will be available to enjoy little moments with them.\u00a0 A city does not offer more opportunities, it just offers different opportunities.\u00a0 Your life will be enriched in many ways if you don\u2019t need the amenities of a city.<\/p>\n

Speaking of amenities, you will find a surprising amount of cultural activities between the tourist and tribal communities.\u00a0 In my area, people often know the Apostle Islands and Big Top Chautauqua (a venue that gets national music acts), but we also have Northland College, a bachelor degree granting institution that brings a college culture with events and athletics (I even was an adjunct professor for a term).\u00a0 There is wonderful local community theater, marathons, large events (such as the American Birkebeiner ski race), and small festivals. \u00a0The tribal communities bring diversity and share their tribal culture with the broader community as well.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say new people would not find challenges in a small town.\u00a0 We do lack being near an airport for commercial flights.\u00a0 Some new arrivals find it hard to meet people.\u00a0 But I think that if you get involved in things, or service clubs or sports groups, you will make friends.\u00a0 Small towns are not perfect and not perfect for everyone, but ask yourself if that 45 minute commute in bumper to bumper traffic is perfect way to spend 1.5 hours of your life daily.<\/p>\n

The most important thing I have found living in a small town is that it is easier to take advantage of those small amounts of time to be with your family.\u00a0 I can come home, spent an hour with my kids, and drive back to my office to prepare for a trial when necessary as it only takes me 5 minutes to get home. \u00a0In my 11 years home, I have had 5 children, become the city attorney, become a business owner, served on several non-profit boards, purchased my forever home, and am genuinely satisfied in my life. \u00a0I don\u2019t regret doing a rural practice for a minute.<\/p>\n

I would encourage anyone unhappy in a more urban area or who enjoys a slower pace of life and outdoor recreation to consider practicing in a small town.\u00a0 New graduates will find small towns welcoming, and local attorneys are willing to offer friendly advice.\u00a0\u00a0 When looking at articles on what makes lawyers happy<\/a>, you will find many of these factors in a rural practice.<\/p>\n

Legal services are needed everywhere.\u00a0 In a rural area you can build your practice in the subjects you desire, and you will find a rich and fulfilling career and lifestyle.\u00a0 As the State Bar is noticing, many rural areas have aging lawyers without new ones moving in.\u00a0 I did not choose an area of practice as I didn\u2019t think a practice area would make me happy.\u00a0 I chose where I wanted to live, as I knew how I wanted to spend my time when I wasn\u2019t working.\u00a0 I pursued what I knew would make me happy.\u00a0 In doing so, I learned I could build the practice I wanted while still getting the lifestyle I wanted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When asked to write a blog for the Marquette University Law School blog, I was provided several general topics that I could have considered, as I have never blogged.\u00a0 But it was also suggested that I have an interesting personal story:\u00a0 I always wanted to be a lawyer in my hometown, a city with fewer 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